1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to an object retrieving apparatus and, more particularly, refers to a ball retrieving and storing apparatus which is easy to operate and carry for retrieving tennis balls from the playing surface of a tennis court and for storing the balls for further use thereof.
While reference will be made in the present specification only to tennis balls, it should be apparent to any person skilled the art that the apparatus is well suited for retrieving and storing other objects, like other ball types, such as golf balls, for example.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that during a tennis practice or a tennis course, a large supply of balls is used for performing the repetitive drills necessary to acquire a good performance. Either when practicing with an instructor or when using a ball shooting machine, it is quite common that at the end of a practice several tenths of tennis balls remain strewn all around the tennis court. Some times 50 or 300 balls are used for the drillings.
The balls must be retrieved and collected in one container or basket to have a ready supply of balls close to the hand for the next practicing. Generally, basket-like containers or other receptacles are employed by the tennis instructors, the containers and baskets usually having stands or other supports for having comfortable and easy access to the balls. The retrieval of all such balls, however, requires strenuous and repeated stopping for taking each of the balls from the floor and bringing the same into a container. This is why several well known ball retrieving devices have been created for retrieving and collecting the tennis balls from a tennis court.
Among the several ball retrieving apparatii, U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,950 to Stap discloses a device including a wire made ball receptacle having a bottom formed from a plurality of parallel rods spaced apart from each other a distance slightly less than the diameter of the balls to be retrieved. A person carrying the device must place the bottom wall above the balls resting on the court and press the bottom against the balls to squeeze the balls into the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,504 to Perez P. et al. discloses a tennis ball retriever and carrier comprising a wire made container having a bottom wall with slotted apertures formed by thin parallel rods through which the balls strewn on the court are to be squeezed. Some of the rods include rollers to reduce the frictional resistance to the entry of the balls through the apertures. The device includes a handle and a support for vertically standing on the court.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,991 to Chen S. H. et al. discloses a tennis ball retriever and storage cart comprising a wheeled carriage that supports a basket having a bottom including curved side members spaced apart less than the ball diameter defining slotted apertures for entrance of balls into the basket when the device is carried on the tennis court and over the balls. More particularly, at least one of the side members is a deflectable member such that a ball on the ground entering the aperture sideways deflects the deflectable member sufficiently for the balls to pass into the basket.
These ball retrievers have shown to be not efficient and comfortable as long as they are made of heavy materials, like metal rods, and while some of them include wheels for retrieving balls from the floor without the need of lifting the apparatus, the wire nature of these devices prevents the same from sheltering the balls from the weather conditions, this causing the instructor or maintenance personnel to bring the retrieving apparatus or basket, once containing the balls, to an indoor place.
Other devices have been developed different from the wire made devices, such as the one disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,658 to Callahan P., the device comprising a storage receptacle having two articulating arm members movable to different positions, wherein the members form, in a first position, a handle for carrying the receptacle, and in a second position the members form a support for the receptacle, the receptacle having a bottom wall with apertures or rod members. When intended for use as a ball retrieving apparatus, the receptacle must be placed above the ball resting on the floor and pressure must be applied on the handle to force the ball through the aperture or rod members into the receptacle.
While the Callahan apparatus is disclosed as a lightweight device it includes a complex articulating handle and support system and the retrieving operation is similar to the wire made apparatii requiring to place the apparatus above the balls and apply a pressure on the apparatus against the balls and, hence, against the playing surface of the tennis court. When the playing surface is clay, the surface is severely exposed to repeated impacts from the bottom wall of the retrieving apparatus. In addition, since the retrieval is achieved by forcing the balls through resilient apertures and rods, the receptacle can not be left without control from the personnel because the balls can be easily removed from the apparatus even if the cap thereof could be locked into a closed position.
It would be therefore convenient to have a tennis ball retrieving and storing apparatus, a lightweight apparatus capable of being easily carried on a tennis court and retrieving the strewn balls without risks for the playing surface integrity and capable of storing the balls and preventing the same from being damaged from any weather condition and removed from the retrieving and storing apparatus once closed and locked.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a device for retrieving and storing objects strewn on a floor, preferably tennis balls strewn on a tennis court, the apparatus being a lightweight apparatus for being easily carried on a tennis court for retrieving the strewn balls without spoiling the playing surface of the court, the apparatus being also useful for storing the balls, for sheltering the same from the weather conditions and for preventing the balls from being removed from the apparatus without authorization.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for retrieving tennis balls from a playing surface of a tennis court and for storing the tennis balls either for preventing the same from being removed by non authorized persons or for subsequent removal for playing purposes, either by taking the balls directly from the apparatus or by transferring the balls to other receptacle, the apparatus comprising a close container having an open front wall, a ramp at the open wall for receiving the balls and directing the same into the container through the open wall, and a handle and wheels for carrying the container on the playing surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for retrieving and storing objects, like balls, generally strewn on a floor, the apparatus comprising a container having at least one close upper wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall and an open front wall, a ramp at the open wall for receiving the balls and permitting to sweep the balls through the ramp into the container through the open wall, roller means for carrying and supporting said container on a floor at least during the retrieval of the balls, and a handle for enabling an operator to carry the container on the floor either by pushing, or pulling of, the container.
It is even another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for retrieving tennis balls from a playing surface of a tennis court and for storing the tennis balls either for preventing the same from being removed by non authorized persons or for subsequent removal for playing purposes, the apparatus comprising a container having at least one close upper wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall and an open front wall, a ramp at the open wall for receiving the balls and directing the same into the container through the open wall, roller means for carrying and supporting said container on a floor at least during the retrieval of the balls, and a handle for enabling an operator to carry the container on the floor.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be better understood when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and description.